It seems like so long ago now, but there was a time when royal fans thought Meghan Markle and the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) were going to be great friends and bond over their unique experience of marrying princes in Britain’s royal family.

Many also assumed that Kate would happily show her sister-in-law the ropes and help her navigate life in the royal household. But less than two years after Meghan and Prince Harry tied the knot, the Sussexes left their positions as working royals and moved across the pond to California.

We then heard from Meghan that the women never had a great relationship like everyone thought, and Kate did not try to support her when she joined the royal family. However, a body language expert doesn’t agree with that and is pointing to a time when the princess was trying to help the duchess during an appearance together.

Meghan said no one helped her adjust to royal life and Kate wasn’t exactly warm or welcoming

During her explosive sitdown with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Meghan told the former talk show host that no one offered her assistance or helped her adjust to royal life.

Then in 2022, the Duchess of Sussex detailed her first meeting with Kate during the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, and didn’t describe the princess as very welcoming.

According to Meghan, “When Will and Kate came over and I was meeting her for the first time, I remember I was in ripped jeans, I was barefoot.”

The former Suits star claimed that when she went to embrace Kate she didn’t get a warm reaction, saying: “I was a hugger, always been a hugger. I didn’t realize that is really jarring for a lot of Brits. I guess I’d start to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside. There is a forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door and you relax now. But that formality carries over on both sides. And that was surprising to me.” 

Expert disagrees, points to appearance where the princess did try to make the duchess feel welcome

Darren Stanton is a body language and behavioral expert with a degree in psychology. He previously worked as a police officer and used his expertise to uncover the truth when interviewing hundreds of suspects. He later moved into media and TV as a consultant and has been dubbed the “Human Lie Detector.”

Stanton looked over footage of when the ladies attended Wimbledon together back in 2018 and pointed out how it was clear by Kate’s actions and demeanor that she was trying to make her sister-in-law feel “welcome and ease her into the way of royal life.”

Speaking on behalf of Betfair Slots, Stanton told Showbiz Cheat Sheet: “They seem to be getting on and chatting away. They’re matching and mirroring each other and leaning in towards each other. At that time, I think Kate was doing her utmost to make Meghan feel welcome and ease her into the way of royal life. They seem to be getting on really well. Kate was doing her best to reassure her new sister-in-law as she found her feet.”

The expert added, “The main difference between Kate and Meghan is confidence. Meghan was in the infancy of her marriage to Harry. Everything is shiny and new. I think there is a real naivety, and a sense of being unsure of what to do and what not to do. Everything was so fresh and new for Meghan. She was new to all the protocols. Her body language is very different to what it is now, as she’s now super confident every time we see her. There are lots of hand to mouth gestures. There’s a real simplicity to her body language.

Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges that conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.